"Did you think I would give up so easily? What a shame! I won't give up that easily～"
One maiden laughed with her hand over her mouth. She was the former Saint Raspberry Bell.
The time was midnight.
She came out of her room when everyone had gone to bed.
The first night she went to bed exhausted and unable to do anything, so she was a little late on the second night and a little behind. Hence, she felt slightly impatient.
"...But still, it's a big house. I feel like I'm getting lost."
Raspberry Bell had spent two full days in the mansion and was still getting used to its sheer size.
If only this lakeside mansion were the only house, but there were several ridiculously large houses scattered throughout the vast property. Even though the servants had shown her around during the day, it was still going to take a long time to figure it all out.
She then walked along the corridor, exploring, stealthily, and headed for a certain room.
Yes, that was Second's room.
Raspberry Bell's once-in-a-generation confession failed spectacularly due to the transfer by Anko.
But she was not the type to give up after just this.
She had been stalking him for nearly a decade. That should be no surprise.
"It should be around here... Oh, here, here."
As she followed the dimly lit hallway based on her memory, she saw Second's room.
She stood in front of the door with a nervous look on her face.
One deep breath.
...One more.
And one more.
After about three more, Raspberry Bell motioned with her right hand, ready to knock on the door.
"...Hm!? "
For a moment, she heard something.
I hope it's just my imagination. With this in mind, she listened carefully.
"…Huh? Eh? Hmm～～～? "
Finally, she placed her ear to the door and began to probe inside the room.
"This... Is this what I think...?"
Her bad premonition was right on target.
What she heard was clearly "that" kind of voice.
"...Oh my, even Senpai is working hard at it."
With a sigh, Raspberry Bell slumped her shoulders and muttered.
The voices coming from inside the room sounded like they were right in the middle of it. Even the quintessential stalker couldn't stand in the way of two such people.
However, she was not the kind of stalker who would give up because of that.
"Temporary retreat..."
I'll confess another time.
Having decided to do so, Raspberry Bell then left Second's room.
...Or so she tried, but her legs refused to move at all.
"I-Is he really that great? "
Gulping down and suppressing her pounding, noisy heartbeat, she gave in to temptation and gently put her ear to the door again.
...Five minutes passed, then ten minutes, but Raspberry Bell stayed in that position.
Then, 20 minutes later, she quietly removed herself from the door, letting out another loud sigh before staggering off to her room.
"Oops, I'll need a change of panties..."
A muffled murmur echoed in the empty hallway.
"Like I said, take the day off! "
"I don't want to. I'm not resting! "
"WHAT! I'm doing this for your sake, Second-dono! "
"It's none of your business! "
"I don't understand this guy! "
Next morning.
When Raspberry Bell went down to the living room, Silvia and Second were fighting.
"What's with all the noise in the morning?"
"Ras! Listen to me! This girl wants me to take a break! "
"Raspberry Bell! Second-dono hasn't taken a day off in the past few months, you know!? I am saying that it is fine for today since things have been settled for a while! "
"And I'm saying I already took off yesterday afternoon! "
"You were giving Blacksmithing instructions to Yukari, weren't you? "
"See!? Wasn't that resting!? "
"That's not resting! "
The two of them argued with each other.
Raspberry Bell opened her mouth with a sigh as she watched the scene.
"...Why don't you guys get married already?"
"How did it come to that?"
"Ke, kekeke, kee, koke...!? "
Dismayed, Second answered, while Silvia was stiffened, leaking a weird voice.
"Silvia, fried chicken!? "
"Eko, don't call her that."
"Then, chicken! "
"I guess so."
Raspberry Bell muttered, "To be having such a treat, even though isn't even breakfast," and moved to the washroom.
As she washed her face, it occurred to her.
How envious――
Having a lover's quarrel with Second.
Silvia had no idea how difficult and precious that was.
To be able to do something I couldn't do in ten years, and to have it done so easily in front of me... for Raspberry Bell, the only word that came to mind was "envy".
"...No, let's not think about it."
She gave herself a boost when she was feeling down.
Raspberry Bell had changed a lot since she came to this world.
It was no longer enough to just watch him from the shadows.
To take action to stand beside him. Wasn't that what she resolved to do, when she decided to confess her feelings to him?
I won't be a nuisance to him anymore. I will not become complacent. Wasn't that my sincere belief, and didn't I create 『Raspberry Bell』 in order to realize that dream even if it was only in a small way?
The answer to her own question was immediate.
ＹＥＳ. There was no more to be said about it.
"Alright! "
Smack! Raspberry Bell slapped her damp cheeks and regained her spirits.
She wiped her face with a towel and faced the mirror looking refreshed.
Hang in there, Raspberry Bell. Don't lose, Raspberry Bell.
Suzuki Ichigo encouraged herself.
Hopefully, I can walk next to him with a smile on my face――
"Second, let's go to the beach."
"Beach? ...Oh, right. You're right. Shall we go to the beach then?"
After breakfast, the five members, excluding Renko, who had headed off to R6 activities, were relaxing in the living room when Eko suddenly remembered something he had said.
"There it is, Eko-favoritism."
"There it is indeed, Eko-favoritism."
Silvia and Yukari raised their voices in protest.
"It can't be helped; I made a promise. Rightー? "
"Rightー! "
Eko flopped down from Second's lap with a happy smile on her face and rushed off to her room to get ready.
"Hmph, you're just going to have to go on your own."
Well, it's like a vacation after all―― Silvia muttered, trying not to be overheard by Second.
Yukari looked at them and said, "Can't be helped if it's only you two," the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and she began to put away the Second's teacup.
"C-Can I come with you? "
"Huh? Ah, sure."
A chance! Raspberry Bell raised her hand as if to say so.
Silvia and Yukari looked at each other for a moment, but Silvia could not be honest after their fight, and Yukari could not raise her hand because she was busy with work, so they had no choice but to let her go.
"I'm ready! Let's go! "
After a while, Eko appeared in the living room with a fishing rod and a bucket.
"You're going fishing? "
"Yes! "
It was a huge fishing rod, marked Model 3-500.
I wondered when and where she bought it, and upon closer inspection, the rod seemed to be a full-fledged device.
"Oh, yeah, I remember people calling it a 'fishing game'."
Raspberry Bell mumbled in a small voice so that only Second could hear her.
Mobius Online was a game that was heavily obsessed with fishing. The quality of the fishing experience was so good that some players even started playing the game for the sole purpose of fishing, and many fell captive to its charms. Hence, it was affectionately called a "fishing game" in some circles.
Second replied with a single phrase, "How nostalgic," with a smile that only the two of them could understand.
"...Fufu! "
That was all it took to make Raspberry Bell impossibly happy.
I'm so lucky...Raspberry Bell thought with a grin on her face.
"Come on, let's go!"
Seeing that everyone is ready, Second uses "Monster Summoning"to call for Anko and orders her to use "Darkness Transfer".
Soon after, Eko was summoned to the seaside town.
The destination was the port town of 『Koula』, the gateway to the isolated island where the ancient castle Isoreus is located.
"――Okay, so we've arrived. Good job, Anko."
"Thank you, there's nothing I wouldn't do for your sake, My Lord."
"You are so cute."
"C-C-Cute? I don't think that's true..."
After arriving at the port town of Koula, Second stroked Anko's head, and she rubbed herself against him, her eyes narrowing even more as if she was feeling satisfied.
"...Ah, there is a nostalgic smell. This is the first port town I visited with you, My Lord, isn't it?"
"Do you like the smell of the ocean breeze?" "
"Yeah. After My Lord's smell."
"Then what's the third? "
"Maybe the smell of blood?"
"That's so like you."
The two flirted in the shade of a tree, looking out over the harbor.
"…Huh? "
Then a bleary-eyed Raspberry Bell came running up from the distance.
Beside her, the shrunken figure of Eko.
"What happened? "
Second noticed and called out to them.
Raspberry Bell then responded loudly.
"This is bad! Eko fell down! "
"...R-Really...?"
Second muttered with a frown on his face.
As they came to the shade of the tree, he could see the situation clearly.
Eko's buttocks were covered with a thick layer of green moss.
"Did you slip and fall on some moss? (TLN: This is a terrible, untranslatable dad joke) "
When Second asked, Eko nodded silently, shivering from the cold. The shaking seemed to have increased even more than before after that. (TLN: It appears it was funny for Eko, though.)
"Haha, well I'm glad it was nothing serious. Anko, take her home."
"As you wish."
"I don't even know what we've come here for," said Second, looking away from Anko and Eko.
"...Ah."
Second and Raspberry Bell were now alone under a large tree overlooking the harbor.
Raspberry Bell let out a small gasp when she realized this fact.
60 seconds until the next "Darkness Summon". Being so familiar with Second as she was, Raspberry Bell was certain he would say something like this:
"Well then, shall we too go back home?"
See? A small laugh.
Raspberry Bell was instantly prepared.
As usual, she placed her hand on her chest, took one deep breath, and broke the silence.
"Senpai, since we've come all this way, why don't we go for a little stroll in Koula and then go home? "
She was impatient.
Seeing the friendly atmosphere between him and Anko earlier, she couldn't stand still.
Hence, on this unusual occasion, she will not hesitate to go on the offensive.
"Sure. Where do you want to go? "
"I'd love to go to the shopping district."
"Roger."
A casual exchange. As if they were friends.
This was not the way it should be. Raspberry Bell shook her head while feeling comfortable with the distance between them.
If this was the relationship between Seven and Framboise I, this would be fine. But if we were speaking of the relationship between Second and Raspberry Bell...this wasn't going to work for her.
"Do you think I would look good in a sailor uniform? "
"What's the matter? Asking that so suddenly?"
"We wore blazers in junior high and high school, right? I wanted to wear a sailor uniform at least once."
"Oh, I see. Sailor uniforms are only sold in Koula."
"Correct! "
"Alright. It's a good opportunity, so let's go buy some."
"Yes! It's a good opportunity! "
The sailor uniform was equipment that could only be purchased at a storefront in the port town of Koula.
Raspberry Bell's spur-of-the-moment strategy was to use this as an excuse to get a date.
"Here?"
"Wow, there's a lot of stuff here! Look, senpai! "
When they arrived at the store, Raspberry Bell ran off, her voice bursting with excitement.
In fact, she had a longing for sailor uniforms. The various sailor uniforms lined up in the display windows attracted her attention, to the extent that she couldn't help but smile.
"Ohh. This one's really good, isn't it? "
"Really!? "
"Try it on."
"Yes! "
Second picked up a simple navy-blue sailor uniform.
Raspberry Bell happily accepted it and went into the dressing room and began to change.
When she saw herself in the mirror, she became convinced that she could do it.
"CHAN! What do you think? "
"119 points."
"...Well, I AM happy, but what's with the half-assed 19 points?"
"I wanted to make it a prime number."
"Isn't 119 divisible by 7...? "
"...Ohh, is that true!? "
They laughed together.
Raspberry Bell's cheeks were stained with overflowing joy, while Second scratched his head in embarrassment.
"I'm going to buy this one! "
Raspberry Bell said smiling as she fluttered her skirt to the right and left. She seemed to like it a lot.
Seeing her, Second laughed and said with a chuckle:
"No, I'll buy it. These things are paid for by men."
"...You sure? "
"Do you even have that kind of money to begin with? "
"...Ahh."
On closer examination, Raspberry Bell was penniless.
Her cheeks heated up a little. She felt instantly ashamed of herself for being so excited about wearing a sailor uniform in a flirtatious manner.
"You are as careless as ever."
Seeing Second paying the fee with a sly smile on his face made her feel more ashamed of herself.
The price tag said 210,000 CL. Quite expensive. And that only added to her shame.
But, at the same time...The fact that she was being treated like a girl filled her with inexpressible joy.
The corner of her eyes felt warm. What Raspberry Bell had been seeking for so long was now coming to fruition in a very natural way.
It was just a little, just a few minutes, a simple shopping date.
But for her, it was like a dream come true.
"It's getting cold. So, I also bought you a coat."
"Ah...Senpai..."
Softly draped over her shoulders was a beige duffle coat that went well with her navy-blue sailor uniform.
――It was warm. Incredibly so.
"It's warm... it's really, really warm..."
Thus, the shopping date was over in an instant.
Sadly, this was how shopping with men was supposed to be.
"Well, let's go home."
"Are we done?" "
"Yeah. I'm already quite satisfied! "
The two talked like that as they walked down the shopping street toward the ocean.
Raspberry Bell realized. Somehow, she had been in too much of a hurry.
But it was also fine to let things change slowly and naturally.
She had her pace, and Second had his pace as well.
Hang in there, Raspberry Bell. Hurray, Hurray, Raspberry Bell.
With a smile that overflowed, Suzuki Ichigo and Second walked together on their way home.
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